Denied Heritage (AU)
by Destiny Skywalker
Summary: A child's heritage is hidden from her, but she will soon discover her destiny.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to George Lucas. I am not a good enough writer to be publishing my work, so I will not be making any money off of this enterprise. Therefore I am no threat to him (and hopefully not the Star Wars Universe). :)  
  
*******************************  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Destiny looked at the battle waging around her. She was frightened. Where was mommy? Where was daddy?  
  
People were screaming. She knew people all around her were dying. She wanted daddy or mommy to pick her up and take her away from this bad place.  
  
Suddenly daddy appeared, swooping his daughter up and running. "Daddy!" Destiny cried, her eyes filled with tears. "Where's mommy?"  
  
Daddy stopped in his tracks. His bright blue eyes stared at his little girl's equally blue ones for a second and Destiny saw tears in his eyes. "Mommy is gone," he choked out and then hugged Destiny so tight she could barely breathe.  
  
Destiny was young, but she was old enough to understand what death meant. Mommy was gone, forever. She wouldn't read Destiny any more bedtime stories, or let Destiny crawl into her and Daddy's bed when she was scared of the dark. "Mommy!" she screamed.  
  
Daddy's head suddenly shot up. "We have to get out of here Destiny," he said. He began running with her in his arms again. She simply continued to cry for her mommy.  
  
The ground began thudding. Destiny picked her head up from her father's shoulder and saw what was causing it.  
  
A monstrous AT-AT walker loomed behind them, gaining ground on them quickly. The gun turrets tracked them, slowly turning towards Destiny and her father.  
  
Suddenly Daddy stopped to face the AT-AT. His face mere centimeters away, he whispered, "I love you Destiny. Never forget that," and placed her on the ground.  
  
"Daddy!" she howled, tugging at his sleeve.  
  
He turned toward her, his blue eyes full of fire. "Destiny, run!" he commanded. Frightened, she did so.  
  
Destiny heard the first shot fire, and turned around to face her father. Her father had out his lightsaber, glowing a fierce but pitiable green compared to the monstrous AT-AT. The AT-AT fired, and Daddy deflected the shot away with his lightsaber.  
  
Suddenly, Destiny felt herself being lifted up in the air. A cold, white- armored arm snaked around her waist. She screamed and kicked to no avail.  
  
She saw Daddy turn toward her. His jaw set and his eyes glaring, he braced one foot and threw his lightsaber toward Destiny and the stormtrooper.  
  
The stormtrooper, coward that he was, dropped Destiny and began to run. The blade sliced through his mid-section, and the stormtrooper dropped to the ground.  
  
Destiny looked back at her father, and saw the AT-AT swivel it's guns toward him once again. Instead of turning around to defend himself, he simply sadly looked at Destiny.  
  
And suddenly was cut down by a bright green beam.  
  
"DADDY!"  
  
* * *  
  
"DADDY!"  
  
Destiny Solo sat up straight in her bed, sweat pouring down her face. Her father, Han Solo, burst in the door and ran to her side.  
  
"What, what?" he yelled. Destiny looked around her room, not realizing why she had even screamed. She looked at her father, who had both arms gripping hers, mere centimeters from her face. His brown eyes were looking at hers with concern.  
  
Brown eyes.  
  
Not blue like hers.  
  
Blue like the man in the dream.  
  
Suddenly everything came rushing back to her. The dream, the battle, and the man she called Daddy all filled her mind. For some unknown reason, she began crying, feeling an immense sense of loss.  
  
Leia Solo walked into the room, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?" she asked.  
  
Destiny tried to calm herself, breathing slower. "I - I had a nightmare," she said.  
  
She felt so foolish now. She was sixteen years old, for goodness sakes, not three.  
  
You were three when it happened.  
  
What was she thinking? Three when what happened?  
  
She realized her mother and father were still looking at her, waiting for her to continue. "What happened?" her mother asked again.  
  
"Well," she began slowly. "There was a battle. This - this man picked me up and saved me. He was a Jedi Knight - it was so silly. He -"  
  
"He was what?" her mother broke in suddenly.  
  
"A Jedi Knight. I know because he had a lightsaber," she said, and then looked at her mother. She was pale as a sheet, and she was trembling slightly. "What's wrong?" Destiny asked.  
  
"N - Nothing," her mother answered. "You have school tomorrow, get back to bed," and walked out of the room.  
  
Her father simply looked at her sadly. "Sorry you had such a horrible nightmare, Kid," he said. Then he looked at the chrono on the wall. "Got an early day tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart," he said, and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
Destiny lay back on her bed once her father walked out of the door and stared at the ceiling. What had gotten her mother so upset?  
  
The memory of the Jedi Knight with her eyes would not leave her mind. Who was he?  
  
Daddy.  
  
No, she told herself firmly. She was the daughter of Han Solo and Leia Organa, not some Jedi Knight. The Jedi had been extinct since the evil Imperial Order had wiped them out. None had existed during her lifetime even.  
  
She sighed. Too much Galactic History class most likely.  
  
Speaking of school, she thought to herself, I need to go back to sleep.  
  
She rolled over and fell asleep, but the blue-eyed Jedi Knight haunted her thoughts for the rest of the night. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
Author's Note: I have stolen the names Jacen and Jaina Solo from Tim Zahn, etc. I'm simply so used to them that they have to exist.  
  
Destiny woke up the next morning to her fourteen-year old sister attempting to sneak out of her room with Destiny's favorite shirt. "Oh no you don't," Destiny said.  
  
Jaina Solo whirled around, the evidence plainly in her hand. "Oh hey," Jaina forced a smile. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I borrowed this old rag?"  
  
"Fat chance," Destiny said, getting up from the bed and snatching the shirt from Jaina. Jaina was two years younger but was Destiny's height. Where'd I get robbed on the height, Destiny thought. Guess she took after Dad.  
  
Daddy.  
  
Get that stupid dream out of your head, Destiny told herself. She needed to go flying and take some of her tension out on a ship.  
  
She dressed quickly and walked into the dining room for breakfast. On the way, she noticed her younger brother Jacen, Jaina's twin, shellacking his hair with some weird goo. Destiny laughed at Jacen, who was suddenly aware that girls did not have space slugs growing on them.  
  
As Destiny dropped into her seat at the dining table, Han mussed her hair. "Feeling any better this morning, kid?"  
  
Leia threw Han a look across the table that plainly meant, Drop it. What creeped Mom out so much about my dream? Destiny thought.  
  
"Come on Des," Jaina said, walking into the room. "We'll be late."  
  
Destiny sighed as she got up from the dinner table. Who died and made her the twins's personal chauffeur?  
  
**********************  
  
After barely making it to class on time, Destiny went through the rest of the day as usual. By the time the day rolled around to her last class, Galactic History, she was itching to jump in a ship.  
  
"Today we will be studying the history of the Jedi Knights," her teacher announced. Destiny groaned slightly too loud. She was not going to get that stupid dream out of her head no matter what, was she?  
  
"If that's how you feel Miss Solo, could you suggest an alternative topic?" the teacher asked sarcastically. "Perhaps you could enlighten us with a lecture on spice smuggling?"  
  
Destiny glared at the teacher. How dare he make fun of her father, a hero of the Rebellion? Not to mention she attended the Coruscant Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the most elite schools in the galaxy. Many heroes of the Rebel Alliance sent their sons and daughters to this school for the finest education the Republic had to offer. Han Solo essentially paid his paycheck. He probably taught Palpatine and Darth Vader, Destiny thought to herself.  
  
"No sir," she sulked instead.  
  
"Good. If there are no further protestations, take out your data pads and take careful notes. We will be having a test on this," the teacher said.  
  
"Thanks Des," Cris Antilles commented from behind her.  
  
"Shut up fighter jock," she retorted.  
  
The teacher began with the beliefs of the Jedi and their customs. As he droned on, Destiny found herself fascinated. The concept of a lightsaber especially interested her. A very elegant weapon, it could deflect blaster bolts and could be used as a tool in almost any situation.  
  
The lecture ended all too soon for Destiny. The bell rang, and she approached the teacher's desk. "Yes, Destiny?" her teacher inquired.  
  
Destiny sighed. "I just wanted to say I was sorry, sir. I found the lecture fascinating actually. Is there any place I can find more information on the Jedi?"  
  
The teacher looked at her, measuring her up. Finally he said, "There should be plenty of information in the Palace databanks." He paused. "With your mother's diplomatic ties you probably have access to higher-level documents also."  
  
"Thank you sir," Destiny grinned. She had always enjoyed hearing stories of knights of old Houses, like the House Organa. She wondered if the tales of the Jedi would prove to be any more exciting. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
  
After dropping the twins off, Destiny took the hovercar over to the hangars that housed the famed Rouge Squadron.  
  
Destiny grinned. Having parents in high places sure came in handy.  
  
The dark-haired man waiting for her outside smiled as she walked up to him. "When you going to join the Rogues, Solo?" he asked.  
  
"Any time they'll take me, General Antilles," Destiny replied. General Wedge Antilles was an old friend of her parents, not to mention one of the greatest pilots the Rebel Alliance ever produced.  
  
Wedge grinned. "Got an X-wing prepped and ready for you, Destiny," he said. "If you can fly one of those as well as your father could, I'll give you a commision right now," he grinned.  
  
Destiny laughed. "My dad's never flown an X-wing," she chuckled. "Just that bucket of bolts he refuses to scrap."  
  
Wedge suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I - ah well, I mean your father's a great pilot, Destiny," he stammered. "I'm sure he could fly anything."  
  
Destiny looked at Wedge strangely. He was probably right. Her dad always loved telling stories about dodging Imperial troops and Star Destroyers. Luckily she had grown up during a time of peace. The last remnants of the Empire were defeated a few years after she was born. She was too young then to even remember any of the fighting.  
  
She hopped in the X-wing and brought the canopy down. "Alright Artoo," she said, acknowledging her family's faithful droid. "Time for some real flying."  
  
"Solo One, you are cleared for takeoff," the controller's voice buzzed in her ear.  
  
She took off and quickly broke for the clouds. Artoo let loose an electronic squwak, but Destiny ignored him. She entered the upper atmosphere and her mouth dropped open.  
  
She had been in space before, but it still amazed her every time. Wedge hadn't been too far off when he asked if she would ever join Rogue Squadron. And she hadn't been lying when she said she would join any time they would take her. Flying was in Destiny's blood; there was no denying it.  
  
She let loose a loud "whoop!" and executed a barrel roll, and then drove her X-wing into a steep dive to avoid space garbage. The battle to take Coruscant had been long and costly. Over a decade since the Republic had established itself there once again, there were still burnt out hulks floating in orbit.  
  
"Solo, be careful," came Wedge's response. "If you blow yourself into tiny particles your parents will kill me."  
  
"Yessir," Destiny replied. She'd be careful. But that didn't mean she wouldn't have a little fun.  
  
Up ahead loomed the wreckage that had once been an Imperial Star Destroyer. Artoo whistled at her. "Come on, Artoo, it'll be fun," she said.  
  
Artoo didn't sound so sure. He made a noise that sounded like an electronic sigh, and Destiny grinned. "Knew you'd see it my way," she said.  
  
She divebombed into the heart of the gutted ship. "Solo One, what do you think you're doing?" Wedge tried to ask calmly.  
  
"Awww come on General Antilles," she chided. "This has got to be somewhat like making a run on the second Death Star."  
  
She twisted and turned at high speed, and then kicked it in even higher. She had never flown this fast before. She was going at breakneck speed, barely in control of her tiny X-wing.  
  
And she loved it.  
  
As she shot out the other side, she heard a respectful whistle in her ear. "Solo, you were born to walk the sky." 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
  
Destiny walked into her home that night with a grin that could swallow Coruscant. General Antilles had complimented her flying and had told her if she wanted a spot with the Rogues, it would be waiting for her when she graduated from school. Not to mention he had offered to let her train in the sims with the other Rogues.  
  
She jumped on her father from behind his chair. "Dad, guess what?" she exclaimed.  
  
Han laughed and looked at his daughter. "You fixed the hyperdrive on the Falcon so it will never blow out again?" he asked.  
  
Destiny giggled. "No, Dad." Her father always made her laugh.  
  
Han looked at her expectantly. "General Antilles let me take an X-wing out for a spin," she announced. "And was so impressed he told me I could have a spot with the Rogues when I'm done with school!"  
  
Han smiled at her. "That's great, kid," he said. Then he looked closely at her. "You know that anything you want to do would make me proud," he said. "Are you sure that is what you want?"  
  
"Dad, as General Antilles put it, I was 'born to walk the sky'," she said.  
  
Han paled, just a little bit, but recovered quickly. "Then go with it, kid," he told her. He broke out into a grin that mirrored hers. "Don't say you never got anything from your old man," he said.  
  
Destiny giggled and threw her arms around her father. Suddenly Leia walked into the room, frantically searching around for something. "What's going on Mom?"  
  
Searching for those darned papers.  
  
Without even knowing how she knew, she replied, "They're in your desk on the second shelf, Mom."  
  
Leia turned sharply and looked at Destiny, her mouth wide open. "How did you know what I was thinking, Destiny?" she asked.  
  
Destiny just stared at her mother. "I - I don't know," she stammered.  
  
After staring at her daughter a few seconds, her face grew angry. "You must have hidden them from me if you knew what I was looking for," she said. "That's not funny, Destiny. Go to your room."  
  
"What?" Destiny shrieked. "Why would I do that?"  
  
"I don't know!" Leia yelled. "Go!"  
  
Tears streaming down Destiny's face, she ran out of the living area and into her room, and slapped the door control. Her parents started yelling before the door even shut.  
  
* * *  
  
"Leia, you can't do that to her," Han said. "She can't help it."  
  
"What would you know Han?" she yelled. "I've helped it. I've never done something like that, even after I knew."  
  
Han glared at Leia. "I may not have what you have or what he had, but I know she can't do anything about it, Leia," he said. He looked at her pointedly. "And what will you do if Jacen and Jaina start showing it too?"  
  
Leia gasped. "I won't let the same thing happen to my children as what happened to my brother," she said.  
  
"Leia - Luke willingly gave his life to save his only child," Han said softly. "He didn't die because he was a Jedi."  
  
Leia stared at him coldly. "And who would train her?" she asked. "Do you want her to become another Vader?" she demanded. "Why don't you go tell her who her father really is, and then tell her who her grandfather is?"  
  
"Leia, she has to know something isn't right. That dream she had the other night." Han said.  
  
Leia suddenly interjected, "I needed to be at that meeting fifteen minutes ago. I'll be late. Don't wait up for me." She turned on her heel and headed for the door. It quitely closed behind her.  
  
Han leaned back in his chair and sighed. He loved Destiny as his own daughter. He saw so much of himself in her it was almost hard to imagine she was Luke's daughter, and not his own flesh and blood.  
  
Except for those laser-sharp blue eyes.  
  
He knew why Leia was afraid. She had lost everything. Her home planet, her family. and then the brother she had only known about for a few short years. She was afraid if Destiny discovered her powers, she would leave them, and ultimately be lost too.  
  
Han was also afraid, but not of the same things.  
  
He was afraid Destiny would discover her powers, yes. Because if she discovered her powers, he knew she would be angry that she had been denied her heritage.  
  
Han could not feel the Force, but he remembered what Luke had said many times.  
  
"Anger is of the Dark Side." 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Destiny lay on her bed, trying to stop the flow of tears. She wiped angrily at her eyes as she sat up and walked over to computer terminal. Who needed crabby, unreasonable mothers?  
  
She found her way into the database, and then typed a keyword for her search.  
  
Jedi.  
  
General files require a level 2 access code. Please enter your access code.  
  
Destiny typed in her access code. She personally had a level 3 access code, because of her parents' high standing in the government.  
  
She read the files for better than an hour before she reached the end. Not much was known about the Jedi before the Old Republic, and she did not find out much about their rituals, but she did find a wonderful history of some of their adventures. Then she reached a name that made her shudder.  
  
Darth Vader.  
  
Her mother never talked about what had happened on the first Death Star. Her mother cried every year on the anniversary of Alderaan's destruction. Her father one year had sat her down and explained to her what had happened to her mother on the Death Star. Darth Vader had tortured her mother, and then Grand Moff Tarkin had ordered the destruction of Alderaan, and forced her to watch. Tarkin had died aboard his evil machine, but the terror associated with Darth Vader went far beyond anything Tarkin had ever done.  
  
Something else caught her eye: her mother's name. Luke Skywalker, a farmboy from Tatooine who would become the last of the Jedi, rescued Princess Leia from the Death Star.  
  
Her mother had known a Jedi? Interesting. Perhaps when Mother was in a better mood she would ask. Then she scowled. Or perhaps she would just ask Dad.  
  
Luke Skywalker died at the Battle of Coruscant. His wife and daughter also perished at the battle, leaving no heirs to the Jedi heritage.  
  
On second thought, perhaps she wouldn't ask either of her parents about Luke Skywalker. Asking about friends who had died in the war was a touchy subject for her parents. It was only second down from asking about Alderaan.  
  
She instead attempted to pull up the files on Luke Skywalker.  
  
Level 6 Access Code Required. Please enter your access code.  
  
What on Coruscant could require a Level 6 access code? Level 6 files were only accessible to governmental elite, such as the New Republic Intelligence. She knew her mother had one, but that was one of the perks of being a hero of the Rebellion.  
  
Destiny knew she had only one chance. The computer system recorded all unauthorized attempts to enter the system, and if she was wrong about her mother's password, she'd be in way more trouble than she was now.  
  
Holding her breath, she entered the date of Alderaan's destruction. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Destiny let out her breath as the files opened. When she saw how much information there was on Luke Skywalker, she realized that getting through all of it would take her another few hours. She didn't want to be caught by her parents, so she found a reader chip to transfer the data onto. As soon as the data transferred, her door slid open and Jaina poked her head in.  
  
"Dad says to come eat some dinner." Jaina then looked at the screen. "Whatcha looking at?"  
  
Destiny quickly locked down her terminal. "Research for Galactic History," she told Jaina. "Not very interesting."  
  
Jaina took Destiny's word for it, and left the room. Destiny let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding, and joined her family for dinner.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night Destiny was able to sit down with her datapad and comb through Luke Skywalker's files. He had grown up on Tatooine as the nephew of a moisture farmer. His father had been a Jedi, but his aunt and uncle had never told him so. Destiny noticed that when he joined the Rebellion a good deal of his missions included her mother and father. No wonder her parents had never told her about him. He had probably been a very close companion, and his death had probably hurt Mother and Father very badly.  
  
Destiny then found a picture from the Battle of Yavin. She snickered at her father's scrubby smuggler's clothes. What made her laugh whole- heartedly was that she realized her father still owned that outfit.  
  
Her mother was absolutely gorgeous; there was no other way to describe it. Destiny admired her mother's long braids and regal look. She sighed. Maybe someday once she was done with all this ridiculous teenager stuff she would look like that.  
  
She frowned harder. Jaina could be a clone of her mother. The only thing she seemed to have gotten from Dad was her height. Destiny obviously took after her mother in terms of height: Destiny was barely taller than her mother. Destiny supposed she looked more like Dad. Her hair was not nearly as dark as her mother's, as a matter of fact, it was a very light brown.  
  
Guess that's why I'm Daddy's little girl, she thought.  
  
Daddy.  
  
Destiny sighed. That stupid dream. She went back to the picture, and her heart froze.  
  
Daddy.  
  
The man from her dream was Luke Skywalker. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
Destiny stared at the datapad, still trying to register what her eyes told her. Why had she dreamed about a long-dead Jedi? Why had she called him her father?  
  
Destiny stood up and walked back to her computer terminal.  
  
Search: Destiny Solo.  
  
She had to use the Level 6 password to gain access to more personal information, but soon enough she found government identification forms, school records, and then finally, her birth certificate.  
  
Destiny Solo  
  
Born 1-15-03 New Republic Era on Tatooine  
  
Parents: Leia Organa Solo and Han Solo  
  
She had been born on Tatooine. The same place as Luke Skywalker.  
  
She turned away from the computer to grasp a paper on the other side of the terminal, and punched up the code on the paper.  
  
"Tash? It's Destiny. I need you over here."  
  
* * *  
  
Tash Kilvian knocked on the door to the Solo residence. He knew it was old- fashioned, but he did not want to wake up Destiny's parents.  
  
The door slid aside immediately, and Destiny quickly pulled him inside. "So what's this that required calling me at midnight on a school night?" he growled.  
  
Destiny glared at Tash. "Do you want to wake the Vice Chancellor up at midnight? Shut up," she retorted acidly.  
  
Tash returned the glare, but waited until Destiny had shut the door into her room before hissing, "This had better be good."  
  
Destiny seemed to lose her confidence. She sat down on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry Tash, I must seem so ridiculous." she trailed off.  
  
"Damn straight you do," he exclaimed. Then he sighed. "But I suppose that's what friends are for."  
  
Destiny cautiously looked up. "Tash, I need you to slice into my birth records."  
  
"All right, you are ridiculous." He stood up and began to walk away, but Destiny grabbed his arm. He saw the pain in her laser-sharp azure eyes, and his next smart-mouthed comment died on his lips. He stood there for a moment with his mouth slightly open, before finally wetting his lips and finding his voice, "Okay."  
  
Without echoing the questions yattering on in his brain, he sat at the terminal and began to work. "How careful should I be?" he asked. "How important is it to cover my tracks?"  
  
"Very."  
  
Grimacing, Tash worked for the better part of a half hour before he hit a wall. "Damn, need a level 6 access code."  
  
Wordlessly, Destiny leaned over from behind him, covered his eyes, and tapped a few keys. Tash smiled at the irony of the situation. Destiny was having him break into Coruscant's database, but she didn't want him to know her access code.  
  
"So what exactly do you want me to do?" he asked. "Change your birthdate so you can get into the good clubs?" He turned to face her.  
  
Destiny looked him square in the eye. "I need to know if they've been tampered with," she said.  
  
Tash whistled softly. "Your parents don't want you growing up huh?" he remarked.  
  
Destiny looked pained. "Please Tash," she pleaded softly.  
  
He turned back to the terminal and began to work. Government files were difficult to crack, but he was sure he could do it.  
  
However, soon he realized that when the files were documents concerning the firstborn of governmental elite, they were even more difficult to do so. After an hour, Tash felt as if he had gotten nowhere.  
  
Finally, he noticed something small: a tiny hole that perhaps he could uncover some information from. Soon, though, he realized that he was at a dead end. However, what he had found might help Destiny in some way.  
  
He pushed away from the terminal and turned towards Destiny. She looked terrified, perhaps of what he hadn't found. Or perhaps what I did find.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Well, I can tell you it's been tampered with. However, I can't tell what's been changed. Whoever did it was good. Really good." He stopped. "I hope I helped somewhat Destiny, but it's been a long night and we both have class tomorrow."  
  
Destiny looked relieved, angry, scared. Her face was such a mess of emotions that Tash couldn't come close to comprehending what she was thinking. He reached over and squeezed her hand, and then got up and walked out the door. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Leia shot up in bed, woken by a nightmare. Her ragged breathing was the only noise in the Solo apartment. She tried to breathe slowly, taking in long breaths and exhaling slowly.  
  
The room seemed cold, and she pulled the comforter closer to herself, causing Han to snort and mumble before he quieted again.  
  
Nerf herder, Leia thought with a smile.  
  
She had just settled down and had almost fallen peacefully back asleep when she heard her name being spoken.  
  
"Leia."  
  
"Whu. what dear?" Apparently she had woken Han up.  
  
"No, dear sister."  
  
Leia shot straight up. "Luke?" she asked, frightened and excited all at the same time.  
  
Luke sat at the edge of the bed, an eerie ethereal glow surrounding him. His blue eyes looked sadly at her, and it amazed her how much emotion was in those eyes, as if he hadn't died thirteen years ago.  
  
A single tear slid down Leia's cheek. She had lost the brother it had taken twenty-two years to find after only six years. He was her better half, her confidant. . . Luke complimented Leia in every way, showing her a different side of everything. How she had lasted twenty-two years and then another thirteen without him was beyond her.  
  
"Leia, you have to tell Destiny," he said quietly.  
  
"No!" Leia said, with far more force than she intended. "I won't lose her too." More tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to fall over like a waterfall.  
  
Luke's eyes became even sadder. "Leia, the Republic needs her. The Force needs her."  
  
"The Force needed you too! And so did the damned Rebel Alliance! And look what happened! You left your little girl an orphan, and you left me! You left me.." Leia began sobbing outright.  
  
Luke stood up, his robes flowing about him, and sat down next to Leia. He brought his eyes level with hers. "Leia, I did exactly what you would have done. I had to save her. You would gladly give your life for Jacen or Jaina. I know you'd even give it for Destiny, because you've taken her as your own."  
  
Leia angrily swiped a tear from her face, knowing he was right but not wanting to admit it. "But if you hadn't been a Jedi, Luke."  
  
Luke shook his head. "Leia, if I hadn't been a Jedi we would all be dead. The Death Star would have reached Yavin, and the Rebellion would have been crushed." He looked her straight in the eye. :Leia, she will find out no matter what. When she does, she will be angry. You don't want another Vader."  
  
"No Luke," Leia said angrily. "She won't find out. We changed everything. There is no evidence anymore. Even the majority of the military who was at the battle thinks she's ours."  
  
Luke stood up. "If I cannot change your mind, then I have failed in my purpose here." He turned away. "Goodbye sister."  
  
Leia crossed her arms. "Goodbye brother," she said bitterly. 


	9. Chapter 9

This is a fairly short chapter, but it's fun to be evil and leave off on cliffhangers. dum dum dum! (  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 9  
  
The power had gone out overnight at Destiny's, so her alarm didn't wake her up the next morning. Her mother woke her by shaking her and announcing that school started in twenty minutes. Destiny groaned as she rolled over. She had only gotten three hours of sleep, and she was exhausted. She was tempted to tell her mother that she was sick, but she had already pulled that excuse several times this semester, and if she didn't go to class, her schoolwork was going to begin to suffer.  
  
Destiny slowly trudged towards the fresher, still not quite awake. Jaina was hopping out just as Destiny got to the door. "No more hot water," she announced.  
  
Destiny grimaced. It shouldn't be too hard to wake up now.  
  
She gritted her teeth as she quickly scrubbed her hair underneath the Hoth- cold water. She was in and out in less than two minutes. This was the reason why she usually got in earlier than Jaina.  
  
Jacen stood waiting at the door when she exited. "Have fun," she grumbled.  
  
Han stood in the living room when she exited her bedroom fully dressed. "Here you go kid," he said as he flipped her a ration bar. He stopped and looked at her. "You look horrible."  
  
"Gee, thanks Dad," she grumbled.  
  
"Always my ray of sunshine," Han said jubillantly.  
  
Destiny sighed. It was going to be a long day.  
  
* * *  
  
Of course she was late. She might have actually made it if Jaina hadn't spent so much time primping her hair. Destiny usually tried to look her best, but on days like this she knew she was better off just tying her hair back.  
  
Luckily, her first class was Orbital Mechanics, and her teacher, a former Rogue Squadron pilot, had taken a liking to her.  
  
"Solo!" Captain Andeen boomed. "You show up late, and you still have a perfect paper!" He handed her the most recent test.  
  
Destiny smiled. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all.  
  
* * *  
  
Destiny had tried to forget about the previous night, but she found it unavoidable once she reached Galactic History.  
  
"Destiny," her teacher asked. "Did you manage to find anything new about the Jedi Knights?"  
  
Destiny felt her face go white. "N-n-no sir," she stammered, "I mostly concentrated on the Great War era."  
  
He raised his eyebrow slightly. "So then you should be well-prepared to today's lecture. You'll also get to hear a little about your parents."  
  
Your parents.  
  
Destiny felt lightheaded. She still hadn't sorted out what her birth certificate had meant. She looked over at Tash, sitting across the room. His eyes were already on her, looking concerned.  
  
The teacher droned on about the lesson, but Destiny found herself in a sort of daze. All the evidence pointed to the unimaginable. Could her parents have truly lied to her? But why would they have not told her? How did she even end up in the care of the Solos?  
  
"Well?" her teacher asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.  
  
Destiny looked up anxiously, embarrassed she had been caught with her mind in another solar system once again.  
  
"Did you ever meet Jedi Skywalker?" he asked. 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
Destiny froze.  
  
Does he know?  
  
"N-n-o sir," she stumbled over the words. "They have never mentioned him to me."  
  
He nodded understanding. "Skywalker died heroically at the Battle of Coruscant," he continued. "Unfortunately, he was the only remaining Jedi at the time, and his family was also killed. This presented a problem for the Jedi Order, because Force-sensitivity is hereditary. Hence, unless there are any Jedi children in hiding, the Jedi can never be resurrected."  
  
Destiny sat back and considered that. Skywalker had had a daughter, but she had died at the Battle also. So there was no possible way Destiny could be his daughter, because Destiny was certainly alive. Unless…  
  
Her birth certificate.  
  
The pieces were slowly beginning to come together; the tangled web of lies was slowly becoming unwoven. She was overwhelmed by her parents betrayal.  
  
The bell rang, and she dimly felt herself standing and heading towards the hall. Tash came up to her, but her feet just propelled her forward. She mumbled something about talking to him later and kept going.  
  
She needed answers. And she needed them NOW.  
  
* * *  
  
Destiny skipped stopping by the hangars for some sim time. She actually planned on talking to General Antilles about this. He and Skywalker had founded Rogue Squadron, so she was pretty sure that he knew all about it. But for now, this was the only opportunity she would have the place all to herself to do some snooping.  
  
She walked in the door and immediately headed for her parents bedroom. "Mistress Destiny!" C-3PO, their protocol droid, chittered. "How good to see you home early this afternoon. Artoo and I were just…"  
  
Destiny switched Threepio off. She had about as much patience for the droid as her father did.  
  
Daddy…  
  
No matter how hard she tried, she could not think of anyone except for Han Solo as her father. Destiny slumped against the wall. Did she want to know if they had lied to her? Could she accept this as the truth if it was true?  
  
Destiny loved both of her parents as her own, and she did not want that to change. She was so hurt at the prospect of being betrayed that she was not sure she could feel the same about her parents if they had lied.  
  
No. Destiny had always been taught by her parents, her mother especially, to seek the truth. While Destiny was not a fan of all the diplomatic duties her mother seemed to tie herself down to, she realized that what her mother did was important to the lives of every member of the galaxy. If the Rebel Alliance had not fought so hard to have the truth about the Empire to ever be revealed, the Imperials could still be in control today. I have a duty to myself, to myself and the Skywalker legacy.  
  
She fervently hoped that she was wrong. 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
Destiny found a large trunk in her parents closet. It was dusty and had a lock on it. Destiny sighed. She didn't think even Tash knew how to break into locks… yet.  
  
"Artoo?" she yelled. Within a few minutes she was greeted by beeps and chirps. "Can you open this for me? I lost the combination," she lied.  
  
Artoo beeped indigantly. "What do you mean I'm not allowed in there?" she asked incredulously.  
  
Destiny began to realize what this meant. At the very least, something was being hidden from her. "Why, Artoo?" she queried.  
  
Artoo blatted at her. She sighed. "No Artoo, I don't think you're stupid." He beeped again. Destiny grinned. "Or manufactured yesterday."  
  
Destiny reached into one of the pockets of her jumpsuit and pulled out a small, cylindrical object. Before Artoo could so much as shriek, Destiny slapped a restraining bolt on him. "Artoo, open the trunk," she commanded.  
  
Artoo emitted a small moan, but inserted one of his appendages into the data terminal. The lock clicked, and the lid opened a crack. Destiny cautiously lifted the lid, and peered inside.  
  
Nothing leaped out at her immediately. There was a small, opalescent cube that looked as if it was constantly swirling about, like currents in an ocean. Destiny was mesmerized by it for a bit, but decided to leave it for later. Most likely it was just something pretty given to her mother while she was Princess of Alderaan.  
  
There were also several datacards. Destiny knew she couldn't possibly go through all of these before her parents got home. She grabbed most of them and put them in a pile next to her. It shouldn't be too hard to disguise them as homework.  
  
While I'm here… Destiny thought. She reached inside the trunk, behind the lock and felt around until she heard another small click. Old-fashioned locks had a flaw in them that allowed them to be disabled without any evidence of tampering. Someone with nosy teenagers probably fixed that, she thought.  
  
There were also a few holocubes towards the bottom. They were dusty and old; Destiny was afraid to touch them for fear of ruining them with any toxins from her skin. She picked them up around the edges and looked at a few. There was a picture of her mother, father, and Chewbacca, along with several military personnel. Leia was beaming at Han, who was holding up Leia's hand to show off a very expensive, very large, diamond ring. Obviously Han had just asked Leia to marry him. Destiny smiled despite herself. Her parents had showed her throughout their married years what true love was. Despite their many differences and disagreements, they always managed to show how much they loved each other. Destiny felt lucky to have grown up in such a loving environment with two parents who still loved each other despite the gray hairs and wrinkles.  
  
Destiny moved onto another picture, this one of a blonde-haired man and brown-haired woman. She immediately recognized the man as Luke Skywalker, but this was the first she had seen of the tall brown-haired woman. She was the same height was Skywalker, and her soft gray eyes seemed happy and free of trouble. Skywalker's blue eyes could not, however, keep a haunted look from his eyes. Destiny wondered what could haunt a Jedi after the defeat of the Empire. Probably more than I want to know, she thought.  
  
There were more holos with Skywalker and the mysterious woman, along with a few more of Han and Leia. Then, she found the holo she hoped she wouldn't find.  
  
The Skywalkers, obviously married judging by some of the previous holos, were holding a small baby in a blanket. The baby had bright blue eyes and absolutely no hair. He or she was very small, and couldn't be any older than a month.  
  
The next holo showed a small girl with Luke Skywalker. Her chubby cheeks were accentuated by a slight parting of her lips, and her eyes curiously gazed at something beyond the holocam. Her pudgy hands reached for it, while Skywalker tried to point her attention towards the holocam. Destiny's chest hurt when she realized she was the little girl. Maybe Mom and Dad just let him hold me, she hoped.  
  
She placed the holos back into the trunk, unable to look at them any longer. She glanced at the other objects in the trunk: a coarse brown robe, a medal, and a long, metal cylinder about the length of her forearm. She picked up the cylinder and tested it's weight in her hand. It was a comfortable weight to carry. She found a button on it and instinctually pressed it.  
  
Artoo shrieked as a green blade nearly grazed his dome. Destiny nearly dropped it, not expecting anything to happen. Artoo began jabbering at her angrily, but Destiny barely heard him. She was mesmerized by the green glowing blade. Once she saw the blade she knew exactly what it was: a lightsaber. She could have seriously injured or killed herself if she had been holding it the wrong way: lightsabers could cut through almost any material, including human flesh and bones.  
  
She pressed the button again, depressing the blade. Somehow she knew it had been Skywalker's lightsaber. Well who else's could it be, stupid? Mom and Dad don't exactly collect Jedi artifacts, she chided herself. But somehow she just knew. It was as if the last piece of a puzzle had been placed. Somehow all the pieces fit together, and she couldn't figure out where she had attained this knowledge from. She felt connected to something, but couldn't figure out what it was or even how she was connected to it.  
  
She gingerly placed the lightsaber back into the trunk. She didn't want to put it back; it felt right in her hand, as if it belonged there. She resisted the temptation to take it back, and instead closed the trunk. She slowly pushed the trunk back into it's former place, feeling an odd twinge of sadness and regret. Sadness at what? Perhaps at the loss of a friend of her parents. Regret? Perhaps that she hadn't known him.  
  
Destiny slowly gathered up the data cards and trudged back to her room, suddenly feeling very old. 


End file.
